Moral Framework of Abortion Editorial (p 2) Kristina Duprey: Pro-Choice: A Woman s Autonomy (3-5) Jose Barcliff: Women s Choice, or Right to Privacy (6-7) Brenda Nova: The Emotional Impact of Abortion (8-10) Chanel Morris: Group Abortion Social & Moral Problems November 17, 2005
Our group is in an agreement that Abortion should not be used as tool of protection from reproduction, but instead as a method of necessity. We all agree that the Right to Choose is a right that should be there if ever there was a need for it, and that it is useful for emergencies and extreme situations where there is no other alternative. We are aware that every human being is different and we carry ourselves and think in different ways. We are in accordance that something that is nothing to one may be something out of the ordinary to the other. We cannot determine the necessity of another human being unless we step in their shoes, which is impossible because of diversity, religion, beliefs, economic status, marital status, etc. We agree that one of the primary arguments used to justify legalized abortion is the idea that women should not be forced to use their bodies for the growth of an unwanted fetus. A woman should be permitted to exercise the maximum possible control over her own body, and that should not exclude carrying a fetus to term. We as if we have a right to reproduce, do we not also have a right not to reproduce? If so, a woman could insist on being permitted to abort rather than have the fetus for the best interest of not only the woman but as well as for the unwanted child. Our group is in a union in saying that no adult should be treated like a child and told what to do at any time, and for any reason. Consequently, on the subject of abortion, we do think that women are autonomous and have the moral right to decide for themselves what to do with their own body. It is a legal right, which women can refer to as the courts decision of Roe v. Wade, which gave moral capacity of decision making to women. The 14 th Amendment, ensure women the liberty to decide for themselves whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term. 2
Pro-Choice: A women s Autonomy By Kristina Duprey Abortion has been one of this country s most controversial topic for many years. If one sees the constitutional infringement to women by the restriction of abortion, the torment to the unwanted child and the anguish society will have to sustain, then this topic would not be so debatable. Many people do not see the cause and effect of not having abortions. Abortion is an ethical and moral dilemma that it can only be determined by a women s choice of her life to end her pregnancy. In 1973 the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal and proved that an abortion is a women s own right and choice by recognizing that it is a fundamental constitutional right. Without legal abortion women would be denied their constitutional right of privacy and liberty, which in the 14 th Amendment states, No State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. (Mappes, Zembaty, p 46) According to the 14 th amendment, which gives women a right to make a decision of her own body, leaves the life of the fetus subordinate to the choice of women lives. If abortion were illegal it would force poor women and unprepared women to bear and raise children that they are not ready to make as part of their lives and may not be able to afford in raising them. Abortions being illegal would push many women to go to the back allies and resolve their situation in an unsafe manner, which can result in death. In addition it will force women to give up their dreams and happiness if the woman would have to continue to bear a child that she does not want in her life. A baby can sometimes disrupt a woman s pursuit of happiness and stability if is going to interfere with their education and career goals. Yes, there is the option of adoption, but the woman still has the burden of carrying the fetus for nine months. At the time of adoption 3
who will guarantees that the child will get adopted and if not than the unwanted child becomes part of foster care, where there is little to no personal affection or care. Foster care leads up to poor education because of lack of attention and discipline and makes the child grow up to be an unproductive individual or a menace to society. In the long run, not only does the child suffer but also the society, who has to tolerate his violent behavior or crimes. Worst of all, it would condemn victims of rape and incest to carry and nurture the offspring of an act that the woman was not part of. Abortion is necessary for women to have control of their own body and life. Women should not be forced to have babies they do not want and they deserve a choice to end their pregnancy plus having a safe and legal way of doing so. An abortion can be seen as putting the fetus out of misery while the fetus does not have the ability to reason. The right to choose to have an abortion is personal and essential to a woman s life. The state cannot interfere in the private lives of the citizens; if the state is going to interfere they should also be willing to support the unwanted child. Abortion is the choice of women whether or not she wants to get one done. With the right to choose abortion, women are able to enjoy their full right of liberty, like men, using the powers of their minds and bodies. A man can withdraw from a relationship as soon as he finds out about a pregnancy. There is no question of his involvement after he has made his choice. It is only fair to say that women should be given the same choice. If one does not want to hold the responsibilities of a child then she should be able to have the choice of abortion in her options. Abortion is necessary if citizens are able to determine whether and when to bear a child because contraceptives fail and they are not always available or possible to use. If women cannot choose to terminate an unwanted 4
pregnancy, she is denied the right to the possession and control of her own body. One of the most sacred rights of common law is to choose and if a women can t do this then their most important possession is taken away. Abortion isn t only a women s right, it a women s choice. 5
Women s Choice, Or Right To Privacy; By Jose Barcliff Abortion issue is about right, and respect for human life. It is really about the basic human right of the woman to decide for herself what to do about her own life while she is pregnant. It shouldn t really have anything to do with the right of the fetus, which is carried within the woman s body. It shouldn t be the government s place to tell the woman what to do with her body. The government should just stay out of it; it should stay out of the woman s bedroom, period. Women have the right to self-autonomy, and to the full control of their own body. Absolutely no one should be forced to carry a pregnancy to term if the person has no desire to do so. Imagine if the government had created laws making abortion illegal all over the land, no matter the circumstances, and putting mechanisms into place to ensure that every pregnant woman get to continue their pregnancy even though they might believe to do so run contrary to their needs, and is completely antithetical to their beliefs. I do think that such laws wouldn t sit very well with a lot of people, and such government wouldn t last very long. Abortion is abortion, is abortion. There can be no exception where abortion is acceptable, nor can there be exception where abortion is unacceptable for the act is still the same thing: it is a private affair between the woman and her doctor. Besides, no one is hurt in the process. Society is not hurt in the process. The woman is making full use of her constitutional right by refusing to carry to term an unwanted pregnancy. As Judith J. Thomson states in her A Defense of Abortion, (Mappes, Zembaty, p. 28) 1 the pregnant woman has not extended to the fetus the right to use her body. I entirely agree 1 Mappes, Thomas A., Zembaty, Jane S.: Social Ethics Morality and Social Policy McGraw Hill, 2002. 6
with the statement, because asking someone to carry a pregnancy in these conditions, against her wishes, would be greatly immoral in this case. Also, in this case the fetus, in its first trimester, like the author says, is just a clump of cells, and can be easily taken care of without exposing the health of the woman to great risk. The woman is a live and breathing person who is able to think, to vote, to reason, to act, to perform duties, and has all the rights under the law. As a part of the woman, taking sustenance from the woman, depending entirely on the woman for its survival, the fetus has no rights, since it cannot decide for itself. The woman has the right to do as she chooses in the matter for it is her body; it is her life, and she has the right to decide for herself what it is in her best interest. If terminating the pregnancy is the right thing to do it is what she should do, for as Judith J. Thomson said in her A Defense of Abortion: a newly fertilized ovum, a newly implanted clump of cells, is no more a person than an acorn is an oak tree, (p. 29) 2. Once more I find myself completely agreeing with the statement because during the first trimester, if the fetus is taken outside of the womb, it will not survive for it has no physiological functions of its own outside of the womb. It has zero survival chances outside of the womb. This last statement greatly illustrates that only the woman gets to decide what to do about her own body. The government cannot tell her what to do. Other well-meaning people cannot decide for her what she should do about her own body. She only has the moral capacity, and the moral right to decide when to bring a pregnancy to term. She was given that constitutional right, and it is her choice to use it as she sees fit. 2 Mappes, Thomas A. and Zembaty, Jane S.: Social Ethics Morality and Social Policy, McGraw Hill, 2002. 7
The Emotional Impact of Abortion on Women By BRENDA NOVA A woman should have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. This is the case law that was acquired from the Roe v. Wade trial. Emotionally a woman is fragile. Women who have been raped or abused should have an over all right to decide what is best for them selves mentally and physically. Physically, means that this embryo that grew from her and was fertilized without her consent should not have right over her. The right of the woman, who was abused, should not be overshadowed by the moral of the situation (meaning the need for an abortion), because there is no justification for being abused or raped; but in turn getting an abortion is justified by the fact that the mother to be was raped. Psychologically women suffer more mental illnesses than men, women tend to slip into depression faster and twice as much as men do. Twice as many women suffer from something called PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which occurs when the person has suffered a tremendous loss. In 1889, Pierre Janet (a French physician and psychologist made important contributions to the knowledge of mental pathology and the origins of hysteria through the use of hypnosis) hypothesized that intense emotional reactions make events traumatic by interfering with the integration of the experience into existing memory schemes. The Causes of PTSD; includes events such as combat trauma, crimes, rape, kidnapping, natural disasters, accidents and imprisonment. Or another disorder called PAS or Post Abortion Syndrome which occurs after the patient has had an abortion and these are the after-effects of abortion that have been identified as a pattern of psychological problems. Women suffering PAS may experience drug and 8
alcohol abuse, personal relationship disorders, sexual dysfunction, repeated abortions, communications difficulties, damaged self-esteem, and even attempt suicide. Post- Abortion Syndrome appears to be a type of pattern of denial, which may last for five to ten years before emotional difficulties surface. Abortion is a delicate issue and there are those who believe that the fetus is human. Mary Anne Warren is one of those people, she argues against abortion. She states in her article, One is human in the moral sense when one is a full fledged member of the moral community. Technically speaking the fetus cannot be a member of a full fledged moral society or community, the child becomes a member of society when it has rights, meaning turning eighteen years old, before that the child has no autonomy because the parents rule their every move. A baby cannot work, feed itself, change itself or take care of itself in a general sense. Why should the fetus have more rights than the mother to decide whether it is carried to full term, if when the fetus is born it still possesses no rights in society? Medication abortion methods have not been shown to have any long-term psychological consequences. But clinical research studies show that the emergence of chemical abortion methods poses a new possibly more devastating psychological threat. Unlike surgical abortions, in which women rarely see the cut up body parts, women having chemical abortions often do see the complete tiny bodies of their unborn children and are even able to distinguish the child s developing hands, eyes, etc. Clinical research studies also provide a growing body of scientific evidence that having an abortion can cause psychological harm to some women. "Women who report negative after-effects from abortion know exactly what their problem is," observed psychologist Wanda Franz, 9
Ph.D., in a March 1989 congressional hearing on the impact of abortion. "They report horrible nightmares of children calling them from trash cans, of body parts, and blood," Franz told the Congressional panel. "When they are reminded of the abortion," Franz testified, "the women re-experienced it with terrible psychological pain... They feel worthless and victimized because they failed at the most natural of human activities -- the role of being a mother." 10
Citation: Mappes, Thomas A., Jane S. Zembaty. Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy. New York: McGraw Hill, 202. 1-60 11